BGSU Women's Basketball: A Legacy of Excellence Collection

The scope of this collection covers the production and completion of the documentary, as well as research files on the history of the BGSU Women’s Basketball program. It should be noted that Hager’s and Weiss’ papers were donated individually but combined together in this collection.

The information relating directly to the documentary includes correspondence between Hager, Weiss, and various parties. It provides direct details related to the planning and execution of the documentary and the proposed book. It appears that the decision to focus solely on the documentary was made early in the process. The office files include details related to the various planning stages of the book, documentary, and DVD.

The history of the BGSU Women’s Basketball program is represented very well through the research files in the collection. There are several copied pages of Key Yearbooks from 1924 – 1979, creating a concise history of Women’s Basketball at BGSU. A handwritten chronology compiled by Hager shows the key events that define the history of the program. Speeches given by Weiss at the documentary’s premiere and drafts of the documentary’s script round out the collection.

Most significant in the collection are the thirty-four interview transcripts of the documentary’s participants, as well as unedited interview video for several of them. Of the transcripts, thirty-one of them contain handwritten production notes and transcription corrections. Although the majority of the interviewees were players, seven of the program’s former coaches were interviewed for the documentary. Dorothy Luedtke, who was the head coach from 1962 – 1966, passed away shortly before the completion of the documentary. Her interview can be found within the collection as both a transcript and an unedited video. Pat Peterson took over the team and coached from 1966 – 1972; a transcript of her interview is included. The interviews of both of these women give insight into the state of Women’s University Athletics prior to the institution of Title IX. Sue Hager, coach from 1972 – 1976, was the first intercollegiate coach following the changes created by Title IX. Along with Hager, the transcript of Nora Liu, coach from 1976 – 1978, demonstrates the difficulties that were still faced by women’s athletics during the 1970s. Kathy Bole coached the team from 1978 – 1984 and was the first alumni to do so. From 1984 – 1991, Fran Voll led a team that participated in two Mid-American Conference championships. The final coach interviewed, Curt Miller, was the head coach at the time of the filming and served from 2001 – 2012. Under Miller, the Falcons were part of the Sweet Sixteen in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

Approximately sixty photographs are included that were collected by Weiss and Hager for use in the documentary. These include official team photos from several seasons, action shots, posed portraits of players and coaches, and a small number of candid photos. The majority of the photographs were used within the documentary to illustrate the historical information as well as the individual interviews. Although not part of this collection, the DVD of the documentary is cataloged as part of the Center’s holdings (CAC Video 220).

The collection provides a deeper understanding of the mechanics of documentary production, as well as of the history of BGSU Women’s Basketball. The inclusion of interview transcripts for a majority of the documentary participants and unedited video of several participants introduces additional information that is not found within the edited interviews included in the documentary. In addition, the presence of the research files within the collection allows for those interested in any facet of the history of BGSU’s women’s basketball program to have a centralized location in which to begin their research.